The year is 2007. I’m in the middle of the fourth and final year of my psychology degree at Macquarie University consisting of a riveting set of subjects (Design and Statistics IV! The Scientist Practitioner Model!), a research project and an accompanying 15,000 word thesis. My project doesn’t have enough participants and I’ve been late submitting my thesis drafts. My supervisor calls a meeting in his office, questions my commitment and asks if there’s anything that might be impacting my motivation or distracting me. I consider acknowledging my indolence and committing to doing my best for the rest of the year, but what I say elicits a concerned frown - “A couple of mates and I founded The W.A.N.G. Club - and it's really busy!”
Rewind 12 months. A group of mates and I are having dinner, reflecting on our time at uni. Macquarie University felt like it lagged behind the bigger ‘sandstone’ universities in terms of social life and campus vibe - people just went to classes and went home straight afterwards. We wanted to change that. One of us mentions that university clubs and societies get money to have sausage sizzles to raise funds for their events or activities. In a flash of Seinfeldian brilliance, one of us posits - what about a club just for sausage sizzles? Eyes widen and excited grins grow. We settle on a name - The W.A.N.G. Club (We All Need Grub) - and the preparations begin. We submit our club application and, much to our surprise, are approved - we can’t believe they are actually giving us money for this!
We decided to launch at the beginning of 2007 during Orientation-week, where all the clubs and societies set up stalls in the quadrangle and compete to attract new members. Our pitch was simple - pay an annual membership fee of $10 and get free sausage sandwiches every fortnight for the year. The most common initial response was laughter, followed by a quick calculation of value, ending with a carefree shrug and the handing over of money. It felt like we became the campus meme - most people that signed up had heard about it from friends and wanted in on the joke too. We bought sausage costumes and ran through first year lectures to spread the word. By the end of the week we had amassed over 500 members and became one of the most popular clubs on campus.
The sausage sizzles were busy from the get-go. It felt like we got a taste of the chef life - building relationships with suppliers (well, knowing which supermarket had the cheapest snags), the hours of mise en place (ski goggles do indeed reduce onion cutting-related tears), the adrenalin of service and the sweet satisfaction of a cold beer at the uni bar at the end of it all. We catered for a variety of dietary requirements, although the vegetarians usually opted to have onion sandwiches rather than brave the vegie sausages on offer. One discerning member brought her own wholegrain bun and salad, obviously concerned with staying healthy whilst still partaking in her fortnightly sausage.
As we approached the end of the year and most of us were finishing our degrees, we began looking for a new executive team to take over. We looked for people that could carry on the values of The W.A.N.G. Club - inclusive, fun-loving folk that could continue the spirit of food, fun and friends. The new W.A.N.G. crew really took it to the next level, putting funds into social activities for W.A.N.G. members and the wider campus population. Before Conception Day, the university’s annual festival, we ran breakfast barbeques to ensure that our members were properly fed before a day of heavy drinking, dancing and cross-faculty relations. We raised money for a variety of charities including Relay For Life and prostate cancer (a processed meat offset initiative come to think of it). There were talks of expansion, with interest from some of the big clubs on campus and even from other universities. However, there was some sense that it might not be as popular or that some of the magic might be lost - that it was perfect the way it was. Anecdotally, membership numbers continued to be strong in subsequent years. From what I can see on Facebook, the W.A.N.G. Club’s last sausage sizzle was in 2017.
On reflection, It felt like we were a club for people who weren’t into clubs, but still wanted to hang out and meet new people. We attracted such a cross-section of the campus - the larrikins who loved the name, the shy guys looking to make friends, the international students just looking for a cheap feed, even a couple of lecturers. The love of perceivably free food was the only common denominator, and not taking yourself seriously enough to join something called The W.A.N.G. Club was the sole membership criteria.
Chatting to the other co-founders and previous executive team recently, The W.A.N.G. Club holds a special place in our hearts. Having such a whimsical idea grow into something so big that so many people delighted in was incredibly validating. Collaborating with others on a real-world project was really exciting - something that a lot of us found lacking in our degrees. Marketing and evolving the club was a fascinating exercise in creativity and entrepreneurship - things that many of us would end up exploring in our careers.
With the increased attention on the sausage sizzles at the recent elections, we joked that we should launch the W.A.N.G. Club political party. What would we stand for? Equality! Community! Inclusiveness! What would we do? Sausage sizzles in every suburb every weekend! Guaranteed to reduce neighbourly disputes, increase social cohesion and support local butchers and bakers! Given the current disillusionment with politicians and the larrikin streak in the Australian identity, we might be in with a chance. All for W.A.N.G. and W.A.N.G. for all!
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